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Hi all,
Sharing the process of rebuilding 3 Overland Models Inc. Brass MSM of Korea cars.
Pictures:
1 & 2) Using BCrail cars #873080 & #873952 prototype photos as a reference for decaling and the goal of the builds for 3 cars.
3) The first thing I noticed is the coupler pocket needs to be addressed with a modified inner box.
4) Some of the stirrups were slightly bent inward (a common problem). Simply bend back again.
5) The underside of the car should be checked for any ill regularities.
6) First I notice the air hose is bent along w/ the coupler lift bar is too long for the coupler shank (these are normal minor fixes).
7) Here I see the side frame is loose and bent inward a bit.
8) The end car decals are not applied on well or straight. (This is a normal problem w/small size).
9) Side decal placements don’t properly match the prototype, some decal sets fit for many car types.
10) Truck brake rods missing details on each side. (To add small details can really improve the cars overall look.
11) The BC RAIL decal is the wrong size and design, so this needs to be removed if possible.
12) After removing the BC RAIL decal the paint came off too easily and therefore the model needs to be stripped and repainted. (Paint should not come off easily when using Microsol.
13) Another thing I noticed on some cars is the coupler lift bar brackets came off really easy from just normal handling of cars. (Some older brass models were poorly soldered, to begin with, let’s face it).
14) The connection point will need to be properly cleaned and prepped for new solder behind the stirrup.
15 & 16)) another car end lift bracket is also loose and will need to be cleaned and re-soldered as well.
17) This pic shows a better view of the loose bracket.
18 & 19) The underframes revealed several wire joint breaks from normal handling (the normal fix is to clean and re-solder).
20) Comparison view of all 3 cars side by side.
21 -26) Once grit blasting and loose parts are soldered, we see how many new solder joints we’re talking about.
27 & 28) Here we see the car after being grit blasted and sonic chemical cleaning is next.
29) Here is the car with trucks on, to see the overall look prior to painting.
30) Before grit blasting on another car, one can see paint can be a great concealer for hidden issues if not properly checked before painting.
31 & 32) One of the focuses with grit blasting is to make sure all the end platform holes are free from solder and paint (the see part in see-thru). ???? also the coupler pockets show only one side was soldered.
33 - 36) Here we can see the actual grit blasting in action.
37) The under-frame end result.
38) The bottom of each car is painted black with 5 thin layers and baked to remove solvents and the harden paint.
39 -49) Shows all 3 cars with the custom green paint applied in many thin layers and baked hard.
50 & 51) Point out the plates for the lube plaques on each side of each car (a neat detail to add).
52 – 83) Below shows the finished first model of 3 cars to be completed.
Hope this gives some insight and ideas on your bulkhead flat car build. The 2nd & 3rd cars are decaled exactly the same with different car numbers.
Thanx Thom…
Sharing the process of rebuilding 3 Overland Models Inc. Brass MSM of Korea cars.
Pictures:
1 & 2) Using BCrail cars #873080 & #873952 prototype photos as a reference for decaling and the goal of the builds for 3 cars.
3) The first thing I noticed is the coupler pocket needs to be addressed with a modified inner box.
4) Some of the stirrups were slightly bent inward (a common problem). Simply bend back again.
5) The underside of the car should be checked for any ill regularities.
6) First I notice the air hose is bent along w/ the coupler lift bar is too long for the coupler shank (these are normal minor fixes).
7) Here I see the side frame is loose and bent inward a bit.
8) The end car decals are not applied on well or straight. (This is a normal problem w/small size).
9) Side decal placements don’t properly match the prototype, some decal sets fit for many car types.
10) Truck brake rods missing details on each side. (To add small details can really improve the cars overall look.
11) The BC RAIL decal is the wrong size and design, so this needs to be removed if possible.
12) After removing the BC RAIL decal the paint came off too easily and therefore the model needs to be stripped and repainted. (Paint should not come off easily when using Microsol.
13) Another thing I noticed on some cars is the coupler lift bar brackets came off really easy from just normal handling of cars. (Some older brass models were poorly soldered, to begin with, let’s face it).
14) The connection point will need to be properly cleaned and prepped for new solder behind the stirrup.
15 & 16)) another car end lift bracket is also loose and will need to be cleaned and re-soldered as well.
17) This pic shows a better view of the loose bracket.
18 & 19) The underframes revealed several wire joint breaks from normal handling (the normal fix is to clean and re-solder).
20) Comparison view of all 3 cars side by side.
21 -26) Once grit blasting and loose parts are soldered, we see how many new solder joints we’re talking about.
27 & 28) Here we see the car after being grit blasted and sonic chemical cleaning is next.
29) Here is the car with trucks on, to see the overall look prior to painting.
30) Before grit blasting on another car, one can see paint can be a great concealer for hidden issues if not properly checked before painting.
31 & 32) One of the focuses with grit blasting is to make sure all the end platform holes are free from solder and paint (the see part in see-thru). ???? also the coupler pockets show only one side was soldered.
33 - 36) Here we can see the actual grit blasting in action.
37) The under-frame end result.
38) The bottom of each car is painted black with 5 thin layers and baked to remove solvents and the harden paint.
39 -49) Shows all 3 cars with the custom green paint applied in many thin layers and baked hard.
50 & 51) Point out the plates for the lube plaques on each side of each car (a neat detail to add).
52 – 83) Below shows the finished first model of 3 cars to be completed.
Hope this gives some insight and ideas on your bulkhead flat car build. The 2nd & 3rd cars are decaled exactly the same with different car numbers.
Thanx Thom…
Attached Files
Glad you liked it.
You're right, ha, it is a lot of tedious work decaling the models (hell even decaling one model, let alone 3). I will admit to getting these close to the prototype (not 100% tho) I went thru several decal sheets (7 in all) because I couldn't find an actual set for this type of car. It was a daunting task when looking at a blank canvas, but now that I'm almost done with the 3 cars (updated pictures coming soon), I must say this has turned out to be a very interesting, learned & rewarding build. A truckload of hours went into each car.
Enjoy! Thanx Thom...
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